And finally the first year of giving workshops ended in September and again it was a true success.

Starting the day ….. and may I add a very rainy day!!!! At School House Farms where everyone was able to walk down rows and rows of dahlias, sunflowers, veggie patches and even chicken coups. Despite the rain, we took out our camera, balanced them alongside our umbrellas and got our shots. The rain drops added interest in the photos and everything looked so fresh. Emily made sure to have her farm stand stocked with fresh fruit, veggies and flowers so that people could purchase goodies and at the same time, support the farm.

Then it was time to drive back to the beach house where we had a chance to dry off and regroup. How nice it was to have The Graze Company @thegrazecompany offer up the most beautiful charcuterie board. I showed everyone each vignette that I had created and then we were all off ….. taking more photos, setting up our unique vignettes and really not noticing where the time went. Being that it was September, the light started fading and we all quickly snapped our last snaps before the end of the day. It was really nice to have Iulia Agnew @iulia.agnew capture all of the behind the scenes shots too. Make sure to check out more photos under the highlight section on my instagram account @tracey_ayton.

As always, everyone who attended this fabulous day were such an amazing bunch and oh how I got so inspired by them all. Perhaps I come away with just as much inspiration as they did!

Thank you to these amazing ladies for signing up for A September Day with Dahlias:

Andrea Marvan @mondegreen_media Alexis Lea @alexisleaphotography Angela Van Tijn @onesmileymonkey Diana Talarico Whitworth @diana_whitworth Jasmere Johal @jasmerej1 Kerri Hansen @littlenestdesign Kyla Getty @kylagetty

Leva Zarina @evethegardener Monica Reyes @morebymonica Rita Homonnai @ritivations Shelley de Groot @flowersandcompany Tracy Paterson @tracypatersonphotography

And a big thank you goes out to my side kick Cindy Mast @cindygraymast for putting her magic touches on taking care of all the behind the scenes work …… as always, her coffee is fresh, her tea is always hot and my kitchen is always so clean at the end of the day. Needless to say, she was a fabulous model, holding an apple pie for 45 minutes so that we could all get the shot!

Lastly, thank you to the gracious sponsors who were so generous with their gifts to fill the take away bags:

Schoolhouse Farm @schoolhouse_farm, Southlands Nursery @southlandsnurseryvancouver, Covet & Co. @covetandco, Dragon Fly Antique & Salvage @dragonfly.antique.salvage, Sampsons Antique @sampsonsantiqueco, Westcoast Gardens @westcoastgardens, Denby USA @denbypotteryusa, The Chocolate Bear Shoppe @thechocolatebearshoppe, Sprinkle and Whisk @sprinkleandwhisk and lastly, Indaba Trading Company @indabatradingco.

Here are some snaps from our day:

………….. and just some sweet notes

The workshop was everything that I hoped it would be and more. I, (well I believe lots of people do) get stuck in the daily grind and rarely take breaks just to be creative and surround ourselves by inspiring like minded individuals from different walks of life and your workshop was the perfect source of ‘creative refueling’.

The biggest take away that I found was layers are everything and to not over think things. Styling is sometimes perfectly imperfect and that was a great reminder. I also loved the different types of women who were drawn to your program, I learned a lot about each of them and have established a couple great contacts through your ‘cross pollination’ of creatives. Rebecca

I have admired Tracey’s effortless and timeless style for years-so much so that I flew in from London, Ontario to attend her workshop! Tracey welcomed all her Attendees into her home with open arms and a warm heart. Throughout the day We were introduced to numerous vignettes of props and fresh flowers, each station more gorgeous than the next!! As artists we were free to roam and get creative with our content creation, all the while Tracy was only a few steps away To offer knowledge and make you think outside the box. Saleme

This past weekend on my blog, I did a little review of my favourite moments of 2019. Taking part in this Photography and Styling Workshop with @tracey_ayton was the top of my list. Being surrounded by beautiful flowers, on a farm, with my camera is pretty much my perfect way to spend a day! Kerri Hansen

Last week had me back in Vancouver for two polar opposite events. One was to say goodbye to an old childhood friend who passed away way too young, the other was to attend a workshop with a photographer and stylist who I’ve admired for years. Tracey Ayton is one of those talented people who is always the photographer in my favorite glossy Canadian interior design magazines. Timing was on my side and it allowed me to spend a fabulous day with her and two other creatives in her beautiful west coast seaside home. As you can see, every detail in her home is thought out to precision. (More images on my blog). The only regret is that I didn’t meet her insta-famous dog, Frankie! ❤ Jennifer Lavelle

[WORKSHOP GIRL] • Had an amazing time at the @tracey_ayton #aytonstylesworkshop today with so many creative ladies and beautiful photo ops! More photos and thoughts to come! Thank you @schoolhouse_farm and @alexisleaphotography for this shot! I’m glad you talked me into being your ‘model’ 😘 Kyla Getty

Photography by Tracey Ayton and Iulia Agnew